The Essential Feminine Company - Empowering Women to Create Successful Businesses and Lives

Influence is a state of being.  When we are living with our influence fully expressed doors open, life becomes easier and we make a difference.  Power and influence are all directly connected.  Power is the ability, strength, and capacity to do something.    Influence is the effect of something on a person, thing, or event or the power that somebody has to affect other people’s thinking or actions by means of argument, example, or force of personality.  When we believe we have the power to create change influence is a direct outcome. 

It’s important for us to understand what we value in order to make a decision on where we want to place our attention in the world.  Power is the energy behind influence and can be found in four specific realms:  the spiritual, the intellectual, the emotional and the physical.  Have you ever thought about the source of your power?  Have you ever asked yourself where you place the majority of your power and influence?

Women have a great ability to influence the direction in which the world is moving but we must first understand our powerful and unique world view and value the strength and contribution of our voice.  Voice is the medium or expression for power and influence.  In my work with women, two of the greatest areas I have focused on over the years are clear expression of voice and the right use of will or influence.  We need clarity and confidence to express our values through our voice.

 Join us tomorrow to learn more about the influence you are making in the world today and about how success, influence and power play a major role in how you show up in the world.  To join us at this exciting Living Room, please register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/664137273

Maureen Simon

Writing to you on the topic of Confidence during this very special week of the 100^th Anniversary of International Women’s Day has made me think of how the meaning of the work confidence has changed over the years for women.  When we go back to what confidence would have meant to our sisters (the Suffragettes) who were paving the way for our vote and freedom of voice – they had little confidence in their ability to be heard or taken seriously in a system that saw them as invisible. 

Today we are not invisible.  Today we have 85% of the purchasing power in the US and we make up over 52% of the small businesses and are heads of household in 51% of the American households.  Today in Egypt and One Million Women March is scheduled to take place.  Reem Shahin, a member of the Million Woman March movement says, “We are not convinced by the amendments of the constitution as they don’t give women the right to run for presidential elections, and there are still no equal rights”.  This quote amazes me as we are now beginning to see many issues that our women faced in the 1920’s become prevalent issues to our sisters in the Middle East.  I wish them well.

Tomorrow we will be celebrating International Women’s Day with our friends at the Global Dialogue Center.  We at The Essential Feminine™ Company strongly believe that it is when we ourselves and our sisters allow confidence to develop in all areas of our lives, we will reach freedom.  Confidence is a birthright built on our ability to voice what we feel and our ability to express  our inner wisdom and  knowledge.  Please join Debbe Kennedy and me along with other wonderful hosts and facilitators in conversation with Frances Hesselbein as we discuss “LEADERSHIP by Example 2011 | WOMEN in the Lead: Our Significant Roles as WOMEN in a Global Economy” https://www.livemeeting.com/lrs/0000011799/Registration.aspx?pageName=pb23p9cvqs97g2lh  or go to http://tinyurl.com/2a99638 |

Also join us at The Essential Feminine Living Room, March 23^rd 12 – 1:15 PM PDST for our complimentary webinar/teleseminar exploring “ Awakening To Powerful Feminine Confidence:  Designing A Life of Optimum Success”.  The Living Room is a conversation and networking opportunity that brings women together world-wide.  REGISTER NOW…https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/411759432

Maureen Simon

 

 

Maureen J. Simon

Founder and Creative Director

The Essential Feminine Companyâ„¢

maureen@theessentialfeminine.com

http://womeninfluencingnow.wordpress.com

www.theessentialfeminine.com

We are all working to achieve a life well lived.  Be it in the work we do, the contribution we make, or the legacy we leave behind.  We are all at different stages of life, many, with different objectives.   Consciousness begins by developing our ability to clearly hear the messages that come to us from within.  Some messages give us information like a basic hunch, some like a lightning bolt some like an epiphany or a wake-up call.  Our ability to listen to these messages and to integrate them into our actions provides us with a basis for conscious living.  If we could entertain the thought that our “self” has a higher place where it operates we could begin to experience a greater flow in our lives.  It is my belief that my higher self is consistently sending me suggestions and ideas that link me to the greater purpose of my life.  Sometimes these suggestions are very subtle but when I listen and follow this guidance I notice that fascinating changes occur that inform me how to use my skills resources and capabilities.  It is in the quiet moments when I move away from busyness that this, critical information is revealed to me.

“At any moment, I could start being a better person, but which moment should I choose?”  Ashleigh Brilliant

So how does all of this relate to Conscious Choices?  Try this.   Start today by noticing the guidance that may be coming through daily that maybe you didn’t notice yesterday.  Clearly listen to any messages that come from within.  Notice if you sense a driving power or informing sense guiding you.  If so, be sure to listen and use the information that you are given.  Allow yourself to screen things that may be imposed by the busy mind.  This stage requi res discretion.  Make choices that incorporate both your inner sense of knowing and you rational mind. 

In the upcoming June Essential Feminine Living Room we will be discussing Conscious Choices – The Golden Key to Success.  Join us Wed, Jun 23, 2010 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM PDT. Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/1619800817     

Around the world, more stories are being written about change.  As Ghandi said, “We must be the change we want to see in the world.” For me this has always meant that I must look at the things within myself that need to change to improve in order for me to make a meaningful impact on the world.  

In 1994, Rwanda once again made the news with the genocide that killed more than 800,000 people, most of whom were men and boys, leaving Rwanda’s population at 70% female.

Fast-forwarding to 2008: “The economy has revived and is holding steady. Major road arteries between cities and outlying villages, which were destroyed, have been rebuilt. Today, the Rwandan lower house of Parliament is nearly half female, the highest percentage of women in any parliament worldwide. Girls are attending school in record numbers.

The women of Rwanda are behind one of the most inspiring comeback stories of national transformation in recent history. And while their story is dramatic, it’s not unique. Indeed, in the field of international development, women have emerged as the not-so-secret secret to changing the world.

As former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said, “If there is one lesson we in the United Nations have learned over the years, it is that investing in women is the most productive strategy a country can pursue”–to raise economic productivity, improve nutrition and health, and educate the next generation.””

  How Women Will Change The World Huffington Post  Update 6/2/08 Filed by Anya Strzemien  

When women begin to understand the natural gifts and talents we hold, claim them and use them we will gain a strength and contribution that will bring the feminine forward in the world in a way that has never been seen.  The time is now.

Last year despite the economic crisis we were experiencing the 5^th annual Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society was held in Deauville, France in October.  They called it Women’s Forum – Think again, think ahead! It is time for action, change and hope.  In December 2009, a review by * Julia Harrison, Managing Partner of FD Blueprint (FD Blueprint is a leading EU public affairs company) and Member Founding Committee of Women’s Forum (Belgium).came out in the European Business Review which you may have missed. 

The contents of her article and the Forum are worth noting.  While the economic crisis of last year threatened holding the conference, a factor in favor of holding forum, according to Ms. Harrison, was “…the recognition that women’s role in all aspects of society and the economy is now more relevant than ever.”  She goes on to state, “Although recent studies have not been able to show categorically that companies perform better if women are present in substantial numbers at board level, they do show that the quality and soundness of decision making improves dramatically in diverse senior teams and that many aspects of performance improve.”

In conclusion her article stated, “What clearly emerged from the Women’s Forum in 2009 is the insight that with global economic crisis come global issues that are so complex and intertwined, no one party can hand off responsibility to another.  Business, professionals, academics, innovators, entrepreneurs, governments and public bodies alike have to care and have to take up these challenges practically. We need to find different models for social and economic progress or face repercussions and continued cyclical economic time bombs.  The Women’s Forum put women at the centre of this challenge and the heart of the solution. Time well spent.”

In order for us to meet this challenge, we women must understand and rely on our feminine attributes; attributes that include: collaboration, relationship building, verbal agility and intuition.  These are the gifts we have that will discover the “different models for social and economic progress” that are so needed in today’s world and in the world of the future.  Notice in your life when you are using these gifts and when you could rely on them even more.  Cultivate them and let them blossom.  As they grow, your life and business will grow.  You will be empowering your relationships and empowering your success.  You will truly become women influencing now.

The webinars that we have been hosting   in The Living Room at The Essential Feminine™ Company have been looking at influence and success from the Feminine Perspective.  Influence and success are powerful qualities that women now need to confidently develop in order to have the voice and capability to contribute to the decisions that are critical in our world today.

When women gain a clear understanding that they hold natural attributes such as the ability to collaborate, care for others, the ability to build relationships, and the ability to work well with ambiguity – to name a few attributes of the feminine—we will move more confidently into the world.  Our ability to use our voice and our natural gifts will make a major differencing the direction that the world is now going in.  Never before has there been a more critical time for women to become comfortable with influence and success.  On December 2 and December 9 we will be moving to the next two webinars entitled Living with Influence and Success from the Feminine Perspective.  During these events we will be focusing on what women need in order to develop these skills and how to create the incoming new year with greater confidence clarity and success.  Contact us at info@theessentialfemininecompany.com for more details.

It is important to look at the foundations or the supports of your life when creating a life of success and influence.  More and more women are interested in creating influence and success, but in order to create these qualities in our lives, in a sustainable way, we must really get to know ourselves—Socrates—said it well when he said “Know Thyself”.

Having a solid foundation in life includes:

• Knowing what you believe
• Knowing what you need
• Knowing what you value

All of this may seem quite straight forward. You may feel that you have looked at these questions at different stages in life, but it is key to keep this inquiry open and alive at all stages of life. This inner inquiry is something that you never outgrow.  The answers that your inner voice will deliver are ever-changing and consistently build on the days and experiences of past.  In other words, our past continually informs our present and what we believe need and value in the past allow us to build on and develop stronger and richer foundations today.

Take a moment to evaluate what you believed to be true and important ten years ago.  How have you changed, how have you grown?  Do the same thing with what you needed and valued ten years ago.  How have you changed? How have you grown?  Our lives form a rich tapestry, it is up to us to see the weaving in the richness of the fabric.  Our history and past experiences are part of the foundation of the life we live today.  The art is in remembering to update them.  Join us at http://tinyurl.com/Register4InfluenceAndSuccess on Wednesday, November 18, for the first in a series of four webinars where you can learn to develop influence and success.

“You are a human magnet and you are constantly attracting to you people whose characters harmonize with your own.” -Napoleon Hill

Empowered successful alive women create their lives from their imagination. They attract the exact right people and the exact right experiences at the right time.  As women move into positions of greater success and influence we learn that within our imagination we hold the power to recreate our lives and manifest far more than we believe on a day-to-day basis. The art of manifesting for success includes one’s ability to clearly define a desired outcome or way of being and to believe and work towards this on a daily basis.  Setting a clear intention is the first step in designing the life that you desire.  Never be afraid to think big and design this new reality to include things that both feel good and provide you with opportunities for growth.  This will lead you to creating and living with influence and success. The next step is to learn to do this from the Feminine Perspective.  This will require us to have greater confidence and more ease with our personal power. We often beaver away in our own world, viewing life from a set of limited lenses.  It is now time for all women to expand our vision and to begin to see the world in a whole new way.  It is time for you to design life as you desire no more reacting to your environment.  On November 18 we will be hosting an amazing webinar series where we will look closely at specific ways that you can move strongly and gracefully into powerful success and influencing your life.  Join us on http://tinyurl.com/Register4InfluenceAndSuccess.

“True success is always accompanied by peace of mind.  As long as you express fear, resentment, criticism and other negative emotions—which result in a lack of peace—it is not possible to attain very much in life.  The act of blessing brings peace within and without.  You can be a peacemaker to any situation by blessing it, rather than condemning it.  So bless pain, financial problems, trouble-some personalities, or worrisome conditions with the thought, “Peace. Be still.””  Catherine Ponder

 Take a look at how you are living your life today.  Do you feel successful? Do you feel peaceful?  There is a correlation.  Does your life express fear and criticism or trust, promise, and hope?  When we create our businesses and our life from a place of peace rooted deep within—the world senses this.  We form an immediate attraction which draws people and experiences to us.  In order for us to create lives and businesses that make a contribution and bring happiness to our own lives we must be clear about our mission, our offer, and our desired outcome.  Only through clarity can we reach satisfaction in our life.  Peace is cultivated by conscious living and conscious decisions.  In November and December we will be focusing four webinars on this topic and on how to create success and live a life of influence from the inside out and from the feminine perspective http://tinyurl.com/Register4InfluenceAndSuccess.

Women have a natural ability to lead while they value peace.  We are most comfortable in environments of harmony and are often ones to create harmony and peace in our work environments and in life.  In no other time in history has it been as crucial for women to build businesses and live lives that reflect these very important core values and gifts of the feminine.

I believe that there has not been a time in modern history on a cross-cultural and global basis where men and women have stood side by side, providing leadership that equally respects and acknowledges both masculine and feminine attributes. I believe that that time has now come. It is now time for us to create a more equitable, harmonious and more successful business, political and community environments as we integrate the feminine and masculine traits. Women have an opportunity to now step forward and to choose to make greater leadership contributions across these arenas by leveraging the innate feminine attributes that they have for so long set aside in order to adapt to the masculine culture that defines our world today.

So what will it take for a major awakening in women to occur? How will women realize that when the strong feminine gifts that we hold are integrated in to the decisions of the world that healing of wars, corrupt businesses and our planet will follow? Malcolm Gladwell in his brilliant book, “The Tipping Point”, states that “Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do”. It is now time for women to understand and own the essential role that their feminine attributes contribute such as relationship building, web thinking, inclusive communication, to name a few. These attributes must be honored and valued by ourselves before a tipping point in awareness or the collective conscience can occur.

As a woman, do you understand the unique and precious values and gifts that your feminine attributes can play in the world? Where can you contribute your wisdom, knowledge and care to make a difference in the world? We must understand and value the gifts of the feminine in order for there to be a tipping point that travels across the world and proudly claims – that women hold an essential role in the world today.

Find out more about your feminine attributes at our website www.theessentialfeminine.com